We Are Team Rubber

Cradle to Cradle, written by William McDonough (an architect) and Michael Braungart (a chemist), explores the notion that we humans aren’t doing ourselves and the planet any favours by our modern processes and consumer demands. But this book thankfully has a load of new approaches and innovative suggestions for rethinking the usual manufacturing, building construction and design of consumer goods.

Why do “we” create things that serve one purpose, and are then scrapped or destroyed when we’re done with them? I love the notion that packaging could have a secondary purpose, buildings can be design to self-regulate temperatures (rather than relying on expensive and damaging - to health and planet - ventilation “systems”), and that shoes can be easily renewed and reused when needed.

This book covers a lot of ground and challenges the way people think about eco-effectiveness, efficiency, design, diversity and waste. It’s also not made of trees and is fully recycleable, though the book will hopefully be passed around and read before being recycled anytime soon.

I am thinking of ways it can apply to my own work at Team Rubber: write general user instructions that can be copied and reused and create Selenium tests that aren’t specific to one user type unless needed. They alone won’t save the planet, however. Others might find some inspiration in Cradle to Cradle too - share them!

Personally, I will wrap presents in reusable wrapping paper (a tea towel or a t-shirt - why not?), buy those tasty desserts that come in the reusable glass containers when I can’t be bothered to cook and look for way to support companies that are serving the “cradle to cradle” movement.

After all, the environmentally-minded individual doesn’t want to be a part of the “bad” demand

P.S. It’s back in the bookcase for the next person.

I am not going to lie, I was drawn to this book purely because of its size! I thought, “can I really learn something useful from a book only 47 pages long?” I am delighted to say I did, and it didn’t hurt to do so. It was easy to read, flowed well and had enjoyable similes such as, “For it is with the advertising man as with the cow: no browsing, no milk”.
Young’s book believe it or not came across as if it was padded at first, but the run up to his ‘technique’, where you do lots of nodding in agreement, did give it more substance. I don’t think his five-step method would seem as interesting or respectable without it, which in a nutshell is:

1. Gather raw materials
2. Work over them
3. Stop actively thinking of it/ them
4. Give birth to an idea
5. Shape the idea

His ‘technique’ taught me (as Andy put it) that you don’t have to lock yourself in an empty room for hours and hours until you come up with something and that being organised is a good thing – which I always like to hear. This book is short and sweet and proves that…. Yes I am going to say it… size doesn’t always matter… sorry!

“Don’t Make Me Think!” is fun to say, and is rather fun to read too.

This is one book that everyone creating web apps, design and/or content ought to read. The clue is in the name - a lot of web usability *is* common sense, but we all need a refresher course now and again.

I’d read the first edition years ago, and second edition is equally awesome. Especially useful for me personally were:

• Chapter 2 & 3 - how users really use the web (imagine users treating the web as a billboard - they are zooming by, rather than sitting down with a cuppa to read every single line of text on the page)

• Chapter 5 - writing for the web … it’s related to the billboard issue! Though the sales guys may disagree
• Chapter 6 - designing navigation
• Chapter 8 & 9 - usability testing
• Chapter 10 - usability as common courtesy

If we all were able to persuade our clients to listen to our suggestions and trust us to make the right decisions about general web usability, our projects could run run a lot smoother.

Don’t take my word for it — check out the zillions of 5* reviews on Amazon.

PS. Kirk, Chapter 11’s subtitle is “Just when you think you’re done, a cat floats by with buttered toast strapped to it’s back”

i) We love reading, especially books; the web’s altogether more organic foe.

ii) The reading list is getting longer.

Here is some visual proof for both of the above statements:

Books = stacky

Click me

A very interesting article from the Guardian regarding Facebook, its founders and board members. The article speculates that the real face behind Facebook is the 40-year-old Silicon Valley venture capitalist and futurist philosopher Peter Thiel.

In Thiel’s virtual worlds: the desired object is irrelevant; all you need to know is that human beings will tend to move in flocks. Hence financial bubbles. Hence the enormous popularity of Facebook.

Thiel, like Rupert Murdoch, is against tax.

‘He also likes the globalisation of digital culture because it makes the banking overlords hard to attack: “You can’t have a workers’ revolution to take over a bank if the bank is in Vanuatu,” he says. ‘

any way have a look see………

This book contains some really interesting anecdotes…but that’s about it. The quote “one of the smartest books of all time”, leaves me seriously pondering the reading list of the Fortune reporter who wrote that quote. Contains lots of evidence proving that people who claim they are geniuses, are actually victims of random good luck. Which is great for contradicting big business men, but never does the book speculate on the “randomness” itself…not even one mention or description of providence….perhaps I’m looking for a spiritually enlightening book, not one on business and economics.

Please read this someone, and prove me wrong.